Vampire craze is far from an end

Dec 7, 2009 15:39 GMT  ·  By
Summit Entertainment is working on a remake of Dracula, “Vlad,” based on Vlad the Impaler
   Summit Entertainment is working on a remake of Dracula, “Vlad,” based on Vlad the Impaler

Summit Entertainment has already made a fortune, and stands to make double if not triple the amount, with the first two “Twilight” movies, so it’s only understandably why it would suddenly be so interested in all things vampires. A relatively small studio until picking up Stephenie Meyer’s books, Summit is now working on “Vlad,” a remake of the classic Dracula story, SlashFilm informs.

In order to bring the new project to life, while also making it different from the countless other Dracula films, Summit has already contact Charlie Hunnam (“Undeclared,” “Children of Men,” “Sons of Anarchy”) to pen the script, while Anthony Mandler will direct. Brad Pitt and his Plan B will produce, if everything turns out as planned. Further details, including particulars on the cast, have not yet been revealed.

“The studio is apparently working on their own action-heavy Dracula remake, entitled ‘Vlad,’ with a script by actor Charlie Hunnam. […] A vampire script from Hunnam comes as a bit of a surprise. Music video director Anthony Mandler is in negotiations to direct, and Brad Pitt is producing via Plan B along with Dede Gardner. Not surprisingly, the film will apparently center on Dracula as the young prince Vlad,” SlashFilm says. As fans must know, Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” which originated all the Dracula films, is centered on the Romanian prince Vlad the Impaler, known for his acts of cruelty towards his enemies.

“Apparently, Summit saw ‘300’ parallels with Mandler’s reel, and they’re hoping for a similarly stylistic approach to the film. I’ve seen a few of his videos, and his dark and moody style could certainly work well with a vampire story. Normally I’m suspicious of the trend to 300ify everything, but in this particular case it may actually work. There’s no word on casting yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we soon find that Hunnam wants the Vlad role,” the same movie e-zine further says.

Since all that could be said about Dracula has already been said on film, speculation is running rampant in the industry that Summit will actually try to make the film more about Vlad before becoming a vampire. In this case, the script will have little to fall back on in Stoker’s book, since most of it is about the undead prince Dracula.